Taunton City

Taunton City

The smallest of the incorporated villages of Lyon county is Taunton, ft is a station of the Northwestern railroad and is in the extreme northwestern corner of the county, on section t7, Eidsvold township. The population in

13The charter members of the Woodmen cam]) were Edward F. St. Denis; Aime Van Hee, Levi St. Peter, Herman Pillotte, Henry Paradis, David Paradis, Bernard Nash, Arthur Gits, Emile Loessaert, Joe Pillotte, H. J. Bot, Levi Prairie, A. Regnier, J. A. Regnier, J. E. Regnier, Teler Charbanan, .) . I . Regnier, P. E. Regnier, Ed. Schreiber, Ed. Schutyser, Robert Stelter, W. Van Sadelhof, II. E. Regnier, T. F. Sanders, Phil Paradis and Robert Didrich.

1910 was 205. While Taunton has not become a metropolis, it has furnished a convenient market for the people of the surrounding country and has developed into a prosperous little village.

Until 1885 the site of Taunton was bare of improvements. That year the railroad company built a side-track there and the site became known as Siding No. 4. In the fall of 1885 Marfield & Company put up a warehouse and J. P. Tumelty bought grain for the firm at the new station.

The second building on the site was put up by Fred Smuhl, who conducted a small grocery store and became postmaster.14 In April, 1886, the village was platted and "Siding Xo. 4" became Taunton. The plat was surveyed by C. C. Pudor and the dedication was made April 30 by Albert Keep, as president of the Winona & St. Peter Railroad Company. Only two blocks were platted. The streets were named First, Second, Garfield, Main and Lincoln.1, business with Marfield & Company. In the summer of 1892 Nick Grengs erected a building and opened a general store. He sold the next year to E. II. Carstens, who still carries on the business. The Catholic church was built in 1895 and the same year residences were put up by Philip Ahern and Fred Smuhl. A few more improvements were made in 189616

14The postoffice was first named Lonesome, later became Rippon, and in 1886 was changed to Taunton. Fred Smuhl was postmaster from 1S86 to 1896 and E, H. Carstens from that time until 1906. Anton Heymans, Annie Ahern and Mary Franekoviak had eharge of the office for short periods during 1906 and 1907. W. S. Baldwin became postmaster December 24, 1907, and has since held the office.

15Two additions to Taunton have been platted by (lie railroad company: First Railway, on October 4, 1S1J7, and blocks 6 to 13, inclusive, on December 20, 1905. ,

In your paper of November 25 you speak of Taunton as a railroad station with but half a dozen or less buildings. You have a mistaken idea of the size of our town. Taunton has about 100 inhabitants. We have thirty business and dwelling houses; we have three firms buying grain, two elevators and one warehouse; we have a lumber yard which does a good business; three general stores and one hardware store, all doing a good business; we also have one restaurant and one boarding house and two blacksmith shops. And at present there are three gangs of carpenters busy every day, and there will be several new buildings added to the list.

The prosperous times of the late nineties brought several new enterprises to the little village and in the spring of 1900 a census showed a population of L84 people living on the 1730 acres of land which it was proposed to incorporate as the village of Taunton.

Forty-nine residents of Taunton on May 1, 1900, petitioned the county authorities for village government.17 The County Hoard took favorable action that day and named W. S. Baldwin, P. P. Ahern and .1. H. Pennington ina lumber yard, grain warehouse and stockyards." - Minneota Mascot, November 28, 1896.

17The signers of the incorporation petition were John Kosmalski, F. A. Steenke, P. P. Ahern, Johann Kubiszak, A. P. Gumpolen, Johann Kopicki, Walentz Korpal, William Nicolay, John Kuszkiewiz, .Max Kosmalski, B. Bimek, George Cherpeski, Johan Krvins, Thomas Walsh, E. T. Morse, Anton Jasinski, W . F. Carstens, H. G. Conger, Kasmiez Bulmaski, Louies Coren, J. H. Pennington, James J. Moughan. M. F. Ahern, W. C. Ahern, W. J. Moughan, Anton Litanspi, Fred Packer, C. J. Traen, M. F. Spronffski, John Gorborg, John Domek, Henry Traer, W. E. Skeels, J. A. Patrowski, M. J. Salmon, E. W. Carstens, W. S. Baldwin, W. B. Moughan, E. A. Lee, Ole Kaas, A. Beeks, H. P. Jalmson, Anton Larson, John Kozinski, Ludwits Breponynski, J. J. Ahern, John A. Peterson, John Nawak and F. B. Hartwick.

spectors of the first election, which was held at the office of Ybumans Brothers A: Sodgins on June 5. At the election "for incorporation" was carried, the first village officers were selected soon after, and Taunton began local government.

lsThe license question has never been submitted in Taunton under the local option law and saloons havealways been licensed by the Village Council.

Since becoming an incorporated municipality Taunton has had a slow hut steady growth. The population was 196 in 1905 and 205 in 1910. Among the improvements of recent year,; were a saloon building erected in 1903 by Johnson A: Mootz, an implement warehouse by Emil Buttke, a brick store building by .1. W. Mach, and a school house in 1 90b.

Taunton has a good semi-graded public school. O. H. Mullar is the principal and teaches the higher grades; Annie Ahern has charge of the lower grades. The present enrollment is about ninety. The school board is composed of M. F. Ahern, clerk; P. P. Ahern, treasurer; and D. F. Salmon, director. The four-room school house, built of cement blocks, was erected in 1906 at a cost of over S7000.»

St. Cyril and Methoduis Polish Catholic Church of. Taunton is one of the strong religious bodies of Lyon county and has a membership of about fifty families. The church edifice was erected in 1895 and was dedicated June 13 of that year. The dedicatory service s were conducted by Fathers Jager, of Marshall, and Zaleawiski, Wilno, and were attended by over 1000 people. For many years the church was ministered to by priests from Ivanhoe and Wilno. The resident priests have been Fathers Buuchek, who served in 1905 and 1906, and Tomeski. who located in Taunton

The Fire Department

The Taunton Fire Department was organized in 1907. Its fire fighting apparatus consists of a chemical engine and its membership is fifteen. John Ross is the chief.

The Bank

business in May, 1905, with a capital stock of $10,000. The officers and directors at the time of organization and at the present time are as follows: John Swenson, president; P. P. Ahern, vice president; M. F. Ahern, cashier; and Samuel Lewison. The institution does a general banking business and engages in the real estate, collection and insurance business. The bank has had a substantial growth, the deposits having increased from $15,000 in 1905 to $90,000 in 1911, and enjoys the confidence of the people.